It is about finding more ways to reduce traffic accidents and fatalities in the City of Delta.
The city will be hiring a consulting company to conduct community engagement to obtain feedback to help develop Delta’s Vision Zero Strategy.
Vision Zero is a multi-national road traffic safety project that aims to achieve a road system with no fatalities or serious injuries.
The project originated in Sweden and is gaining momentum across North America, with various cities including Surrey having their own Vision Zero plans.
One of the key differences between Vision Zero and traditional approaches to road safety is that traffic collisions are considered preventable, viewing safety as a shared responsibility between system designers, policy makers and road users.
According to Delta’s request for proposals, which recently closed, the safety strategy should focus on addressing safety for vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
Last year, the city retained another consultant to complete a Vision Zero road safety analysis.
It looked at, among other things, the top 20 highest crash locations in Delta using ICBC and Delta Emergency Services collision data, as well as a detailed analysis of the top crash locations to determine contributing factors and collision trends.
Delta has also been working with the City of Surrey on a Scott Road corridor safety study which analyzed collision trends, contributing factors and recommended countermeasures.
The consultant for Delta’s Vision Zero plan is to come up with a strategic document, which is to outline key performance indicators and set interim targets, as well as determine priorities for road safety interventions to guide investments.
The consultant is to also come up with cost estimates for each type of countermeasure identified in crash analysis report.
Presentations are to be made to the public and key stakeholders. The goal of the outreach will be to inform, educate, obtain community buy-in and gather feedback on how safety can best be addressed in the community.
The city notes that the Vision Zero Road Strategy will continue to build on the initiatives currently in place by Delta’s engineering department and will assist in taking a strategic approach to road safety moving forward.
